Political asylum

February 21, 2006|From the Evansville Courier & Press

Canada's Federal Court has taken up the appeal of Jeremy Hinzman, 27, a U.S. Army deserter who is seeking political asylum. If Hinzman succeeds, perhaps as many as 200 deserters living secretly in Canada will do likewise. But his petition for asylum was rejected last March by Canada's Immigration Review Board, which found Hinzman did not meet criteria for refugee status. All of this recalls the Vietnam era when some 12,000 U.S. deserters and 20,000 draft dodgers took refuge in Canada. But there is a significant difference between then and now. Back then, there was a draft; military service was mandatory. The U.S. military today is all-volunteer. They know going in they might be called on to fight a war. Canada has been admirable in its treatment of refugees. But it would be exploitive to grant asylum to those who haven't suffered persecution or abuse, but merely had second thoughts or belated misgivings about a contract they had lawfully entered into.